374 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Nor are these all the causes of failure that we maj^ discover lurk- 

 ing "behind the scenes." Too often orchards are not securely fenced 

 against the incursion of farin stock, or fence gates are left open and 

 the farm animals break in and mutilate and destroy the trees. The 

 enclosed orchard is too often found a convenient place for turning 

 in the horses for exercise and baiting the cows when the fall pastures 

 are short and in the spring before they are fit to turn on to. Every 

 tree that is severely browsed, has the top broken off or is otherwise 

 mutilated by cattle might better be dug up and thrown away than 

 to attempt to nurse it into usefulness. Even allowing the ground 

 to be tramped in the late fall or early spring is dangerous. 



Many orchards are hopelessly ruined while 3'oung by raising 

 grass and grain among the trees without even mulching or digging 

 over a space about them. Every winter great numbers of trees are 

 lost through being gnawed by mice and rabbits, when with a spade 

 in one minute of time a inovind of earth may be raised about the 

 base that is an effectual barrier against mice, and it costs but little 

 to bind straw, cornstalks, lath or cloths about them to protect 

 against rabbits. In a few instances we have seen orchards that had 

 been planted and cared for and had yielded good fruit, by men 

 who are now disabled by age and infirmity, totally ruined through 

 the thoughtlessness of younger members of the familj^ and hired 

 help, in allowing them to grow unkempt and then throwing the 

 grounds open to common pasture to get rid of the labor of mowing 

 down the weeds. 



After looking " behind the scenes," is it any wonder that orchard- 

 ing is no greater success in the Northwest? The success of a great 

 number of our fanners in growing small fruits is about on the same 

 scale. Good money is paid for .plants, thej"^ are set in the saine field 

 where other crops are growing, they are hoed and tended all sum- 

 mer and look promising in the fall; then the cows, colts and, some- 

 times, the hogs are turned into the field to bait, and the berrj^ patch 

 is soon ruined for next year's crop by the plants being burned ofif or 

 trodden into the ground, and next year the owner buys his fruit or 

 goes without and will tell you that berries will not grow for him. 



Mulching to Retard Maturity.— Careful investigation and 

 thorough inquiry lead to the following conclusions: 



1. The early bloom of fruit plants depends very largely upon the 

 appropriation of foods stored in the twigs, and it is more or less 

 independent of root action. This is proved by direct experiment 

 and by study of the physiology of plants. 



2. It must follow, then, that the temperature of the twig or branch 

 must be reduced if its vegetation is to be retarded; or, in other 

 words, the top of the plant, as well as the soil, must be mulched, 

 and in practice this is possible only with strawberries and other 

 very low plants or those which are laid down during winter. 



3. There is danger of injuring plants by heavy mulch which is 

 allowed to remain late in spring. If it is desired to retard flowers 

 or fruit by mulching, the practice should not be violent and the 

 plants should be carefully watched. 



4. Many strawberry growers are able to delaj^ the ripening of 

 fruit by mulching from two days to two weeks; but a week's delay is 

 usually about the limit of profitable results, PROF. L. H. BAILEY. 



